Honda NC700X UK ride

Can Honda's NC700X deliver on its impressive fuel economy claims?

We reviewed Honda’s new NC700X in December last year, but it wasn’t possible on the press presentation to get an idea of the bike’s fuel economy in everyday, British riding conditions.

This matters more with the NC than most bikes because it’s pitched so differently: the motor is in effect half a four-cylinder Honda Jazz car engine and the bike is designed primarily as low-cost, high-economy transport. With the recent unrest at the unrealistic EC economy figures for cars, we were very interested to see what an unusually economy-focused motorcycle was capable of.

It’s been pretty impressive, though I was hoping for better still. Ride it as you’d drive a car, going for higher gears relatively early, and you’re not only dialling into the way it prefers to be ridden, you’re rewarded at the fuel pumps. A steady indicated 70mph feels on the slow side on motorways as much of the traffic overtakes you, but you do get 75mpg. It’s not quite Honda’s claimed 79mpg, but this is achieved without any particular effort aside from keeping the speed down.

It’s best to stick to the speed limits, because faster cruising speeds, say 85mph or so, dent the economy, which can drop to 57mpg - a long way from Honda’s claim, although still better than most economical cars driven in a similar manner.

At the same speed, our long-term test Suzuki V-Strom manages a still handy 54mpg, and that’s a much more exciting bike to ride, with better comfort and weather protection. Around town the V-Strom does 47mpg to the Honda’s 50mpg, but thanks to its 4.4-gallon tank compared to the Honda’s 3.1 gallons, it has a much superior range.